A League of Nobleman (2023)

Cat's paw.

The disturbingly elegant and noble Lan Jue, courtesy name Peizhi, is the picture of a rising young Vice Minister of Rites. Beneath his urbane facade, he conceals a burning purpose to clear his father's name in a two-decade-old treason case. In this quest, he is quite bendable with regard to the means that justify his ends. He is stymied at each turn by Zhang Ping, an impecunious scholar, noodle maker, and truth seeker. Zhang Ping is convinced Peizhi is a villain and is determined to bust him. Peizhi is cynically amused by Zhang Ping's naive righteousness and impressed with his deductive talent. He means to make use of him if he can and if not, dispose of him. Watching Zhang Ping go from being Peizhi's cat's paw to someone he raises kittens with is the best part of this drama for me.

This high-production-value drama conjures a sinister, suspenseful aura that permeates the stylish, lavish existence of the Dayong elite. Everything from the set design to that ridiculously mysterious and beautiful opening dance, to Peizhi's floaty diaphanous costumes, to Peizhi's long, sensuous unbound hair reflects, elegance, refinement, and impeccable taste... aside from Song Weilong who obviously drew the short style straw starting with the rigid wig and the way his outfits look like they were slept in. It is no wonder Peizhi's old flame is less than impressed with the goofy, big-boned, toothy peasant with a big nose to boot that Peizhi traded down to. It does require suspension of disbelief considering how utterly appealing both the ardently devoted Mowen and frostily sophisticated Shulin are. The only explanation is Peizhi must be an eyelash man.

This is a bit unusual for the mystery genre in that it is far more of a character-driven story than it is plot-driven. As far as the cases go, they are well executed and unfold more as procedurals. Outside of certain aspects of the main conspiracy, the viewer is not given a fair chance to solve any of the cases. There are plot design shortcuts such as resorting to the water illusion trick to bridge memory gaps and uncover long-lost evidence and there are logic holes, such as crime scenes staying undisturbed for too long. While the over-arching conspiracy is well conceived with decent twists, it is not that original. The villains reveal themselves early on so it is also anti-climatic. But for once I don't really mind because Jing Boran's Peizhi is just too bloody distracting. How can a man look so damn indecent, almost naked with just his hair unbound? And my mouth goes dry at the subtle multi-partied flirtations - those deep searching and revealing looks these gorgeous men keep exchanging with one another. It is such a big upgrade from the typical stunned dead duck stare of conventional romances. I freely admit my brain went on strike so often I am grateful the solutions were just spoon-fed to me.

This drama is superbly well executed and gets all the important things right. Any shortfalls in the plot are made up for in excellent character design and heartfelt, immersive performances by the cast. Jing Boran and Wang Duo deliver standout performances but even Song Weilong, whose acting is still a work in progress, is so well cast he just somehow fits this Zhang Ping character. It is a shame that his scenes with Jing Boran obviously suffered heavy cuts. After all of the build-up, I was really looking forward to seeing Zhang Ping and Peizhi shine in the final arc. Instead, it is pretty much hijacked by Shulin's unfinished business with Peizhi and his abandonment issues. Everyone else including Mowen and the emperor is sidelined. As much as I love Shulin's complexity and Wang Duo's phenomenal acting, I have mixed feelings about the final arc. The tone feels a bit off and succumbs to a tad too much cliched, dog's blood melodrama. I think that Zhang Ping's newfound pragmatism and epiphany that the right outcome can be more important than the truth is fitting. It demonstrates enormous character growth even though justice proved to be ultimately elusive.

Moral of the story: Don't be a cat's paw - be careful who you date!

Overall a feast for the eyes and the senses - 8/10.

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Curiosity Kills The Cat

“Curiosity kills the cat” refers to Zhang Ping (Song Weilong), the Ramen Detective who, time and time again, places himself in great danger in determining to find the truth. Together with the elegant gentleman Lan Jue (Jing Boran), who initially seems like a “fu hei” (black belly) because he crosses the line which Zhang Ping tenaciously upholds, their fate intertwines and they solve cases after cases which provides them with more clues and leads them to unravel a greater conspiracy. The whole drama is intense and fast-paced, sinister with danger lurking in every corner, spurred on by the background music.

Acting:
The drama is adapted from the novel "The Case of Zhang Gong" 《张公案》written by Da Feng Gua Guo, on the encounters of the naïve, honest and upstanding Zhang Ping, and the diplomatic and graceful Lan Jue. I love both portrayals. Jing Boran has a natural air of elegance and grace. His Lan Jue is brilliant and convincing. At times of his torment and uncertainty, viewers feel for him and his sorrow. Song Weilong has a boyish demeanor and fits the character of the naïve Zhang Ping. His acting here is very believable and lovable. The other cast members are equally good, especially Wang Duo''s Gu Qingzhang who is mysterious and evil-ish, Guo Cheng's Chen Chou who is a true friend, and Hong Yao's Wang Yan character which unfortunately is only one dimensional.

Plot:
The plot is layered with plot within plot and plot twists. Here we have a power-hungry Empress Dowager, a seemingly useless Emperor, a perverted royal blood who would do anything to get his revenge, an upstanding official who is forced to compromise his integrity due to the rot of the system, and a scholar who is obsessed in solving unsolvable cases. What seem like unrelated cases all lead to a big conspiracy. The attention to detail is laudable, with spectacular crime scenes leaving clues for the discerning eyes. The lavish use of hallucination, hypnotism, illusion and deception further enhances suspense and mysteries. There is also a hint of BL for Lan Jue and Gu Qingzhang which further fools the viewers with Zhang Ping’s reaction. It’s only revealed at the end that Lan Jue is a widower with a son. I’m grateful that there is no infuriating Mary Sue characters.

Music:
The opening music, “Red Bloody Fog”, is interesting, mono acoustic drum beats add on the mystery and suspense. I am actually very impressed by all the OSTs and the background music. Some tunes are upbeat with hope, most are sinister and dark, depicting imminent danger, evil and death. The OST “The World is Blessed” gives viewers an image of the common scenes on the street of the ancient time in the ancient city. The vocals accompanied by piano depict the simple life of the commoners, upbeat, and filled of hope for better tomorrows. I even love the tune sung by Zhang Ping’s shifu, “The Cow Wakes up to Eat the Grass”; I find myself humming to the tune repeatedly. There is an extended use of drums to give the feel of something ominous coming. The drop of each beat signifies a find of a jig-saw piece for the puzzle. The music can be mesmerizing, like the tune “Demon of the Heart”, sending listeners into a trance. In darkness and despair, there is hope because there is a person like Zhang Ping who insists on finding the truth as depicted with his tune on “The Ramen Detective's Noodles”.

My Verdict
A great watch for almost everyone. Don’t miss this wonderful drama.

Bravo!

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